Local Public Radio reporter Katie Orr was the first to spot the new technology in use yesterday, but failed to grasp its significance when she tweeted at 2:50 pm about the story up at the UT-San Diego’s website: “Is it me, or is this story confusing? It makes it sound like Romney’s already given his speech, which happens at 7 PST”. Others, including local scribe Seth Hall, noticed another story posted Thursday morning featuring a photograph and video of lightning in the East County with a headline and lede indicating that the images were captured on Thursday evening.
Of course, what really happened in the first instance was that editors in Mission Valley had jumped the gun, running an Associated Press story written by reporters with access to an advance copy of Romney’s speech. We’re guessing that they just missed the language in the story (written for newspapers with deadlines ahead of the actual event, a common practice at news services) that put the GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s speech in the past tense.
The lede… “Mitt Romney launched a full-speed fall campaign for the White House on Thursday with a prime-time speech to a unified Republican convention and a nation divided politically as it struggles in a weak economy.”
Paragraph #4… “Romney’s speech was the traditional convention finale, and thousands of red, white and blue balloons nestled in netting high above the floor, ready to be released on cue once the Republican candidate completed his remarks.”
As to the predictive story about the lightning, I’m headed out to the racetrack today. Anybody from UT-San Diego got any advice?
Democratic Response to Clint Eastwood: Biden to go shirtless at our Convention…
As you may or may not have heard by now, the “big surprise” promised for the grand finale at the GOP convo was an appearance by actor/director Clint Eastwood. The Hollywood legend gave a rambling riff on an imaginary conversation with an imaginary President Obama sitting in an empty chair on the $2.5 million stage in Tampa. It was a groaner. And I’m sure people a lot funnier than I am will have plenty of parodies in the coming days. Meanwhile, I probably should give SNL’s Seth Myers a hat tip for stealing his idea in my headline. Here’s the video:
The last word on Clint…
“Eastwood’s attacks on Obama didn’t faze the campaign. “Referring all questions on this to Salvador Dali,” Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said in an email to The Huffington Post.”
The Romney campaign buys themselves some social media…
One day after President Obama made headlines by interacting with over 4 million users/viewers at social media site Reddit, the Wall Street Journal revealed yesterday that the GOP nominee was ready with an answer. In advance of his nomination acceptance speech last night, a Romney campaign official confirmed that they’d purchased a spot on the “trending” topics board at Twitter featuring the hashtag #RomneyRyan2012. They may not be able to build a social media base, but they sure as hell know how to buy one. (h/t Electablog )
Mitt Romney is no tissue paper man…
So says Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi in a long and detailed look at the the GOP nominee’s ascendancy in both the worlds of politics and business. It’s totally worth reading. Money quote:
He’s closer to being a revolutionary, a backward-world version of Che or Trotsky, with tweezed nostrils instead of a beard, a half-Windsor instead of a leather jerkin. His legendary flip-flops aren’t the lies of a bumbling opportunist – they’re the confident prevarications of a man untroubled by misleading the nonbeliever in pursuit of a single, all-consuming goal. Romney has a vision, and he’s trying for something big: We’ve just been too slow to sort out what it is, just as we’ve been slow to grasp the roots of the radical economic changes that have swept the country in the last generation.
At the GOP Convention, money talks and bullshit walks…
The myth that SuperPacs and official campaigns are somehow separate entities has pretty much been dispelled at this year’s GOP convention. The New York Times today has an excellent report detailing how the lines between “official” and “unofficial campaigns” have all but disappeared in Tampa. Reporter Sheelah Kolhatkar gives an unauthorized (apparently) inside view of a fundraiser for Karl Rove’s SuperPAC, American Crossroads over at Bloomberg Businessweek. You’re guaranteed to ooh and aah as Rove jokes, in-between pleas for more donations from the billionaires in attendance. “We should sink Todd Akin. If he’s found mysteriously murdered, don’t look for my whereabouts!”
DeMaio’s campaign San Diego mayoral breaking campaign laws?
At least that’s what the folks behind this anonymous flyer that showed up in my email in box yesterday claimed. It says that there was a joint DeMaio campaign/ PAC fundraiser held yesterday at the Associated General Contractors Building at 6212 Ferris Square (near Sorrento Valley) and that this overlapping event was in violation of San Diego Campaign Control Ordinance 27.2950. We’ve asked our lawyer about this, but apparently he’s out surfing. Or something.
Tweet of the Day #1: Liam Dillon (@dillonliam) Release from @carldemaio says his two-day trip to Mexico, “ignited international goodwill”
Justin Bieber pic replaces Congressman Bob Filner on Wikipedia page
Was it a dirty trick or just some prankster? We’ll never know, but Capital Hill’s Roll Call reports that the mayoral candidate’s mug shot on his Wikipedia bio was, for a time replaced with a dated picture of the tween entertainer flashing a peace sign. Maybe he was just hoping for bigger youth vote turnout…
Occupy Wall Street promises September 17th comeback…
On the first anniversary of its historic occupation near Gotham City’s financial center, Occupy Wall Street is planning to re-emerge from the shadows with a blockade of the New York Stock Exchange and attempts to “arrest” bankers, organizers said Thursday. The several days of street action will highlight a “people’s wall” at the NYSE, according to Dana Balicki, a spokeswoman for the group.
“We want to bring people down to the belly of the beast,” she said. “That will be a pretty substantial act of civil disobedience. There’ll be a mass of people converging on the Stock Exchange to deliver our message: that we’re the 99 percent and we’re not going to take it.” She pledged that Occupy leaders have learned from past blunders and are ready to get around any law enforcement crackdown.
Ahem, Congressman Bilbray! Are you awake?
The race for San Diego’s 52nd Congressional district turned weird yesterday when incumbent Bilbray challenged Democrat Scott Peters to debates that Peters already signed on to several weeks ago. We cheerfully quote from the Peter’s campaign press release:
“Mr. Bilbray has issued a challenge to debates we agreed to weeks ago,” said Peters’ Communications Director MaryAnne Pintar. “We’re just pleased he’s finally stepped up.”
Other organizations including the North County Chamber of Commerce, several rotary clubs, the Ocean Beach Town Council, and Voice of San Diego, have also been trying to organize debates for weeks. Peters agreed to them immediately; Mr. Bilbray has not. The Peters campaign intends to honor these requests and calls on Mr. Bilbray to do the same.
Important training for would-be politicians in progress…
From the Harvard Crimson:
“Harvard College‘s disciplinary board is investigating nearly half of the 279 students who enrolled in Government 1310: ‘Introduction to Congress’ last spring for allegedly plagiarizing answers or inappropriately collaborating on the class’ final take-home exam.”
Tweet of the Day #2: David Roberts (@drgrist) It is slightly surreal that we now have journalists AND fact-checkers. Somehow they’ve become two separate species.
Quote of the Day: • Margaret Sanger: “No woman can call herself free who does not own or control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother.” (1963)
On this Day: In 1946 Superman returned to radio on the Mutual Broadcasting System after being dropped earlier in the year. In 1959 Sandy Koufax set a National League record by striking out 18 batters. In 1974 John Lennon testified in federal court that the Nixon administration tried to have him deported because of his involvement with the anti-war demonstrations at the 1972 Republican convention in Miami, Fl.
Feed Your Soul/Save the Coasts: The Expendables will be headlining at the San Diego Liquid Aloha Music Festival on Satuday, September 1st at the NTC Prominade starting at 3pm. 10% of the proceeds from ticket sales ($20, info here, 21 & up only) benefit the San Diego Coast Keeper. Other bands include: The Nervous Wreckords, The Simpkin Project, HI Roots, Natural Heights, Arden Park Roots, & Casey Turner
Eat Fresh! Today’s Farmers’ Markets: Borrego Springs (Christmas Circle Community Park Christmas Circle & Palm Canyon Dr.) 7 am – noon, Fallbrook (102 S. Main, at Alvarado) 10 am – 2 pm, Imperial Beach (Seacoast Dr. at Pier Plaza) 2 – 7:30 pm, Kearny Mesa (No. Island Credit Union pkg lot 5898 Copley) 10:30 am – 1:30 pm, La Mesa Village (Corner of Spring St. and University) 2 – 6 pm, Rancho Bernardo (Bernardo Winery parking lot 13330 Paseo del Verano Norte) 9 am – noon, Southeast San Diego (4981 Market St. West of Euclid Ave. Trolley Station) 2 – 6 pm
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Doug Porter
Latest posts by Doug Porter (see all)
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The Republican response to all those Harvard plagiarists and colluders might be to praise them for team play, demonstrating that good old American will to succeed.
The U-T, by virtue of their amazing Carnak the Magnificent powers, should just tell us right now who won the presidential election. And whether that individual is the best or worst president we’ve ever had.
Neil Armstrong deserves a special shout out tonight. We have a full moon tonight. In fact, it is a blue moon (two full moons in one month) and we won’t have another blue moon until 2015.
I stood on my front porch, looking up at the moon and remembering the day that I stood ironing in the dining room watching the lunar landing on a black and white TV. I was 18 years old, and that was a defining moment for me– I started to understand the possiblity of dreams. I’m winking at you Astronaut Armstrong.